Pioneerof the Nile, the nation’s leading Second Crop sire, got his second stakes winner of the weekend Sunday when Conquest Top Gun scored a front-running victory in the $148,250 Victoria Park S. at Woodbine.
Trained by Mark Casse for the Conquest Stables of Ernie Semersky and Dory Newell, Conquest Top Gun’s win came a day after Jojo Warrior took the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita Park.
Conquest Top Gun showed his heels to his foes right out of the gate as Eurico da Silva hustled the 3-year-old colt to the front. After a relaxed six furlongs in 1:14.07, the eventual winner drew away with ease in the stretch to win by 5 3/4-lengths in 1:50.96 for the nine furlongs.
“After the quarter he relaxed beautifully and really picked it up in the stretch,” said da Silva. “If another horse had come faster, he had a little more. He’s a trier with a big heart.”
Semersky credited his colt’s success completely to Casse.
“We have 1000 percent confidence in Mark,” said Semersky. “We go to the sales with him, but he works like an animal. He doesn’t send a buyer. He goes and looks at 1200 horses. We have a big edge, I think, and we’ll invest in Mark anytime.”
Casse bought Conquest Top Gun for $525,000 out of the 2013 OBS Horses of Racing Age last June, the top price of the two-day sale. The Kentucky-bred colt is the second foal out the stakes-placed Jump Start mare Early Vintage, who is a half-sister to Grade 3 Sorrento S. winner Tasha’s Miracle.
Conquest Top Gun made $78,750 for Sunday’s victory, improving his record to 3-0-1 from five starts, a slate that includes a win in the $140,000 Marine S. at month ago, also at Woodbine.
